Why don’t Americans take climate change as seriously as everyone else?
“The present U.S. position of no new agreement until post- 2020 is really blowing negotiations apart,” Papua New Guinea’s chief climate delegate, Kevin Conrad, said.
“We can’t wait for the U.S.,” Italian Environment Minister Corrado Clini said.
‘It is a betrayal not just of small island nations, many of whom would be destined for extinction, but a betrayal of all humanity. There are no plausible technical, economic or legal impediments for not taking the actions required by science,” said Ambassador Dessima Williams, Permanent Representative of Grenada to the United Nations and Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States.
In the corridors here at COP17, a negotiator for the US delegation gave 3 reasons Americans don’t want the Obama administration to commit to the emissions reductions scientists say are necessary to avoid dangerous climate change.
1) Americans don’t feel the impacts of climate change. Sure there are droughts. Sure there are floods. Sure there are hurricanes. But we’ve always had those.
2) Americans think that doing anything to reduce emissions will just make life more difficult and more expensive. It’ll be more expensive to drive our cars and turn on the lights at home.
3) Americans are isolated from the rest of the world. We’ve got two oceans and friendly neighbors (Canada and Mexico) that make it difficult to empathize with other countries.
What do you think?
Are these just convenient excuses? Are there other reasons?
After watching this conference for almost two weeks, I’ve begun to suspect that it is not about climate change at all.
It is actually the dark side of “winning the future,” and winning the next election.
Is it possible that what is really happening is that Americans fear the increasing power and influence of emerging economies and want to maintain advantages in international trade, whatever the cost?
Some very smart and dedicated people are doing their best to convince the Obama administration to change its tune and with the final hours of COP17 approaching, I’m hoping for a breakthrough.
Who gave those 3 reasons? In what kind of setting? How did the public/media react on the spot?
Great questions Pablo. It was in the corridors, off the record. No media. The other person in the conversation said he understood, but was still frustrated.
In the NY Times (7-DEC-2011)
At Climate Talks, a Familiar Standoff Between U.S. and China
Jo Leinen, the German Social Democrat who leads the delegation from the European Parliament, lashed out at both superpowers.
“What is really frustrating to see is this conference is again hijacked by the Ping-Pong game between the U.S. and China,” he said. “It is unacceptable and no more tolerable that this game is blocking the overall process. Now that China has done some moves, let’s test their seriousness. I don’t see the same commitment, the same signals from the U.S. The one is not yet ready; the other is not willing. We really have a problem.”
The standoff has threatened to derail the process in each of the past several years, but at the end of the two-week session the parties usually pull back from the brink and announce an incremental, face-saving deal. This year’s talks appear headed for the same sort of conclusion.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/08/science/earth/at-climate-talks-a-familiar-standoff-emerges-between-the-united-states-and-china.html
I’d also say it’s a combination of a politicized and fragmented media landscape, an ailing economy and struggling middle class (i.e the limited pool of worry theory), and a reflexive distrust of statist or internationalist action.
Great additions–have you seen any concise analysis of the climate change media landscape that delves into how and why it is fragmented and politicized?
Nothing specifically about climate change, but the term is “epistemic closure”, meaning that people can now safely inhabit their own media universes that do not challenge their preconceived notions. See http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/28/books/28conserv.html
and about Fox news and climate:
http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2011/11/fox-news-successfully-creates-climate-confusion-but-only-among-conservatives.ars
No wonder public acceptance of AGW has plummeted.
Americans have a fear of big government, nevermind big international government. I think binding negotiations in a way that could negatively impact the American economy, is a very tough sell to the American public.